


Under the blue tree

by G_S_Black



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Game: Life is Strange: Before the Storm (2017), Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2019-11-18 00:09:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18109319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G_S_Black/pseuds/G_S_Black
Summary: My first english fanfiction! MJ, Chloe's older cousin, faces some problems when she meets infamous Damon Merrick. And suddenly, a fire threatens Arcadia Bay while she tries not to loose the girl that is like a little sister to her... Contains: OCxFrank and OCxDamon Merrick





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first (english) fanfiction on this site!  
> English is "only" my second language. Please feel free to contact me privately about any mistakes I have made or improvements I could try out.  
> Have fun with my Story.  
> G.S.B.  
> P.S.: This fanfic can also be found on fanfiction.net

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small prologue was added. I am working on editing and changing the four chapters that I have already posted. I hope you get to read a new chapter soon!

**Prologue**

 

_A whirlwind of gray clouds seemed to swirl inside of her mind. What was up and what down? She felt breathless but not suffocated. The air around her seemed to carry nothing but the sound of wind. She felt like a bird, watching the world from above as she descended down towards the earth. She felt free while the wind seemed to take a hold of her. She was above her home. The wind was picking up but guiding her softly. There was the lighthouse, shining its light over the coastline of Arcadia Bay. The woods came nearer as the sun started to set, tinting everything in reds and oranges like a fire consuming the world how she knew it. She started to hear the crackling of wood burning and felt heat as the wind got more powerful and tossed her around in the air, bringing her back down. Faster and faster she spun - until she no longer was able to see where she was going..._

Melody woke up as her alarm started to ring, catching her in a state of confusion that some people felt when they woke up from a deep slumber. The dream was still at the edges of her thoughts but when she tried to grasp it, it went back into the abyss of her mind. She shook her head a little bit to get clear again while she turned the alarm off and rose from her bed.

She found her way into her small but practical kitchen, deciding to start her day with a cup of black tea. Her apartment wasn’t what you would call modern. Her living room mostly consisted of scattered art supplies, a few canvases and an easel. It looked comfy and was just right for her. Since she had finished school, the only real direction she had regarding her profession was to be an artist. But it did not pay off. Melody had moved out of her parent’s house as soon as she could. With 18 she had started a part-time job at the local Diner called _Two Whale’s_ where her aunt Joyce Price was working to get money for her hobby and her old truck she had dubbed Camilla.

Why she moved out? Was it due to violent parents or had she done something bad? No. Melody was a person that got easily along with a lot of people. A smile was grazing her features most of the time and she interacted with other human beings with joy. But she needed her own space to focus on herself and her parents had accepted that. When her parents moved to another town after her older brother Chris had finished school she knew right from the beginning that she had to move back. She had told her brother jokingly that somebody had to look out for Frank, a childhood friend from her brother, but that was only a small part of it. She did not know what it was about Arcadia Bay, but she felt connected to this place.

She had been living there for two years with support from her parents, her brother and her uncle William’s family including aunt Joyce and her cousin Chloe, that was 6 years her junior but quite a few centimeters taller than her. But then, two years ago, her uncle had died in a car crash. To support the family of her deceased uncle, Melody had started to take the odd job here and there around town. She had asked Frank if he could help her to get a few jobs since he always had at least one foot in the underground of Arcadia. The older man had never been too happy because he felt like somebody like her should not be involved with the likes of him. But he too wanted to help her as much as he could. If every seedy job went through him, he at least knew who she associated with. You know, if a threat had to be spoken out…


	2. Shit-hole make-over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to change a few things I knew I got wrong and added a little bit more. Hope you enjoy :-)

**Chapter 1: Shit-hole make-over**

 

“Okay. Listen up, mates!” MJ started, after she climbed the first few steps of the not overly trusty looking stair to face the rest of the “crew”. “I’m MJ and will be the coordinator for the set-up for the fucking show tonight.” They were a group of around eight to ten people that had gathered at the old mill. It was a little bit after 1 pm and the sun was shining, illuminating the forests in rays of light that made even something as old as the mill look mystical and beautiful. Some of the helpers seemed to be locals from Arcadia Bay she thought she had seen one time or the other and some of them she had no fucking clue from where they had crawled out from. But was it important to her? No. Her job, her crew. And let her be damned if she did not do everything she could to make sure she did her job right. It was times like these she was glad for knowing Frank _and_ being on his good side. He had gotten her this job like so many others in the last 4 years since her uncle had died in a horrible car accident, leaving behind a wife with a teenage girl.

They were preparing the old mill for some Merrick guy that had decided to make a concert consisting of Firewalk, a punk rock group that had gained a lot of popularity in the last few weeks and a few smaller local bands. Or so her cousin Chloe had told her about the main act.

“We need four to five people to set up the stage. The equipment is outside on the red truck. The left-overs will help me with setting up the rest of this shit-hole for tonight. Stage Crew? Go with Ami. The rest will come to me!” she shouted over the light noise those piss-heads created. Soon, the crowd thinned out a little bit. Ami, a burly-ass man in his late thirties, had gotten most of the stronger looking boys and girls to heft up the heavy speakers and other equipment that was needed for the show this night. She had known the man for a few years now and worked quite a lot with him. He was like a teddy bear that could turn into a grizzly if provoked.  A few people lingered behind, probably not really sure what they had to expect from the girly with the black-framed Nerd-glasses that had introduced herself with just a nickname.  MJ did not care. She often got weird looks whenever she acted around in a setting most people would not associate with “someone like her” meaning small and looking like she belonged into an art school. She climbed down the steps she had used before to gain the attention of the others. Now, her smaller frame of around 5.3ft made her need to look up to speak with the rest of them. Her blond hair was set up in a ponytail and made the black-framed glasses even more prominent.

“A few of you and me, we will need to set up the bar for tonight. I brought the drinks with me. You and you” she pointed at a sour-looking man with an undercut, a few piercings and a lot of tattoos on his body and his dumber-than-dumb looking friend “will come out with me to get everything we need. The rest can just get started to decorate this shit-hole. I have a few things in here. Treat yourself!” She kicked lightly against a large cardboard box filled with different utensils she had collected over the last few years. Upgrading places for shows had been something she had gotten quite a lot of experience in, including bar keeping. She gave a light wave to the two men she had chosen to indicate that they should follow her outside. The way the taller one looked at her promised trouble.

She went in front of them, holding open the door as two guys carried in a large speaker. Then, she went outside to her trusted ol’ rusty blue pick-up truck. “Here, gents, old Camilla looks over her treasure” she said as she went to her truck and opened the ramp. There was still a sketch of a pirate flag on the inside of the truck bed from the time her little cousin had played pirates with her friend Max. “Careful. She can bite” she joked as the dumb-looking one took the first large cooler full of drinks. “Care to explain why we should take commands from a little girly like you?” the aggressive looking man asked from behind her, his arms crossed before his chest. He had seemed to want to ask that question for quite some time.  A smirk pulled at her cherry-red lips. “What’s ya name, Sweety?” she asked him with a sweet voice. She knew what kind of effect this tone could have when she had to fight through the tantrums of Chloe when she had been a toddler. A scowl formed on his lips. “Sheldon. Now answer the question!” MJ was well acquainted with people like him. Thinking they were overly masculine, mostly douche bags with a knack to become angry real fast. She had to be careful with him. “Ah, Shelly! Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it! I just so happened to get hired by that Merrick guy to set up the stage and this beautiful shit-hole for tonight. I was told I would get help. You are here. So…?” She looked at him with her best “darling-face” while simultaneously asking herself if she was too provocative but it must have worked because he uncrossed his arms and mumbled something about “little girls with their pretty faces” and took the other crater in his arms. “Where?” he asked and she smiled warmly at him which seemed to weird him out even more. She swore he even blushed a little bit. _Still got it in me!_  “Thank you, Sweety! Bring it up to the bar. We’ll figure something out when we have unloaded the rest”, she told him when they went back into the building again.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later and everything had been done. They mostly had to work with what the place had to offer but Melody had a feeling that most of the visitors of the concert would be content. The band came a little bit early for the sound check so they actually had time left for setting up the bar and rooms with more tables and stools. Some of the crew gathered around for a beer after their work. “Yo, Shelly!” MJ shouted from the other side of the room where she tried to set up a ladder near the stairs. She had seen a stuffed deer head that seemed to call to her to temper with it a little bit. But it seemed the ladder she had found did not want to cooperate with her. “Care to help me for a moment?” The always sour-looking man sneered but trotted over to her. She smiled thankfully at him when he came up to her, dwarfing her with his larger frame. “What is it, girl?” Great, she had neither got him to say her name nor to react to the nickname she had given him _once_ during the last few hours. Her fault of wanting to get along with everybody and being disappointed when it did not work out... “Care to hold the ladder while I climb up there?” she asked and pointed to the edge of the floor of the second floor. There was the stuffed deer head she had seen and she just had the perfect idea to make it even more eerie. He nodded and held the wonky ladder in place for her to get up there. Hell, she was really happy she stuck to Jeans like most of the time.   _Bet he isn’t though…_ she thought to herself as she catched a glimpse of him looking at her ass. “Okay…” she murmured to herself lowly as she lifted the head to replace the glass eyes with lamps. She had to balance her tools while she leaned against the top part of the ladder. Thankfully, Sheldon did not decide to be tired of her antics and held the ladder in place. She made a little light-check after she had inserted the bulbs and reattached it to the wall. Then, she climbed down again. “Thanks, Sweety!” she addressed Sheldon as soon as her feet touched solid ground again and pressed a little kiss to his cheek to fluster him up after she had checked out the vibe the deer head gave off now. “Whatthefuckever!” he murmured. But she saw that light coloring on his face again and smiled, mischief dancing in her eyes. _Success!_

 “Kiddo! Stop flirting with men that are way too old for you!”

Her head whipped around at a voice she knew too damn well. “Hey, Francis! What’s up, big man?” she greeted him as she walked up to him and gave him a light hug, completely ignoring the annoyed huff that came out of his mouth. She always tried to give him a hug when she saw him. If he did not allow her to, she knew he was pissed, but he never returned the gesture unless he was either high or drunk as fuck or in a really good mood. Therefore, he mostly just stood there until she was finished with the sentimental gesture. He gave her a short look-over after she had released him from her grasp as he had not seen her in quite a while. Her cousin on the other hand… “Pastel pink?” he asked as he saw the color she had dyed the tips and some strands of her hair with. Whenever he seemed to see MJ she always had another color mixed in with her naturally blond hair. She had picked that habit up a few years ago and stuck with it ever since. She probably had all the colors of the rainbow in her hair and even more but one thing never changed: she always wore her big black-framed Nerd-glasses she had gotten in the early stages of puberty. Hell, she definitely could pull it off with her cherry-red lipstick and pretty face.

“Ya’ never know what color will come next!” she answered to his remark and shrugged her shoulders. “Thanks for suggesting me to this Merrick-fella again! I really needed that money to upgrade on some of my artsy tools.” He did not need to know about her family getting a lot of it. Or, more precisely: Joyce and Chloe.

“No problem, kid. It doesn’t look too bad in here.”

“Sheesh! Way to swoon a lady, Frank!” she laughed as she went around him to get back outside. It wasn’t the first time he had given her a job in the name of one Damon Merrick. She had never met the guy but if he kept booking her through Frank, he seemed to be happy with her.  “See you later, big man!” she called over her shoulder.  Frank sure as hell saw a sour-looking man check out her ass when she left the old mill. And he was not amused. Hell, if her brother hadn’t been a friend of him during his school time, he wouldn’t even care and maybe even have a look himself. Not that he hadn’t… While she was undeniably pretty, she did not quite fit in with the rest of the people he associated with. She was rather petit, overly bubbly and friendly with a smile always gracing her features. She looked younger than her 22 years, probably because she always dressed the way she did and was tiny compared to most people, even though she was in her early twenties, around 6 years his junior. And she was the only one getting away with calling him Francis….


	3. Walk the fire!

MJ stood in front of her bathroom mirror applying light make-up while the radio in the kitchen played some music. Her phone lay on the sink, face up. She was trying to call her brother while getting ready for the show that would start soon. “Price?” she heard from the phone. “Hey Chris! Melody here!” she answered and heard a light chuckle coming from the other side. “Hey lil’ sis’! What are you doing? Met Frank lately?” He always asked about him when they talked on the phone. While being one year younger than Frank, they both had gone to the same school, Blackwell Academy. They even had been friends and still were and while Chris had moved out of the city a few miles away and had a good job with a beautiful fiancée, he always cared to wonder what Frank was up to. Hell, he knew “Big man” was involved with drugs and crime but still, he knew that Frank was a good guy deep inside, proven by the fact that he kind of looked out for his little sister.  “Actually, I just saw him like three hours ago. Remember about _Firewalk_? They will play this night up in the old mill. He got his friend to hire me to organize everything that was still needed for tonight. I think we did a pretty good job to make the atmosphere suitable.”

“Sounds great, M” he answered but she still heard the slight concern through the speaker. He had never quite agreed with her way of trying to be independent and was thankful that Frank looked out for her to not get into the deep shit in Arcadia Bay. “Hey, you don’t need to worry about me, Chris. I know what I am doing and I keep my distance from the overly dangerous-looking boys” she tried to reason with him before the mood would turn over. She loved her brother a lot but they both could be really stubborn.  “Yeah, I can imagine that…” she swore she heard him rolling his eyes. “Just being concerned. Emily says ‘Hello’.” A smile formed on her lips. “Tell her ‘Hello’ back. The painting is nearly ready. I should be able to finish it in a week.”

While MJ worked a temporary job at the _Two Whale’s Diner_ since she moved back to Arcadia Bay with her aunt Joyce who worked full-time, she aspired to live off of her art. She mostly painted and sculpted sometimes and even had designed one of Frank’s more visible tattoos, but to be honest, it did not pay off. Therefore, she was always thankful for the little extra job here and there even if it meant associating with the “scum” of Arcadia Bay. Part of her money went to the rent of her little rundown apartment in the center of the city within walking distance of the diner. Another part went to her parents, Aaron and Linda Price, who in return gave a little bit of money of their own to help Joyce Price ever since she lost her husband William Price. It was not much and they all knew Joyce felt uncomfortable about receiving the money from the family of her dead husband but she could use every penny for herself and her daughter to not lose their house and keep up the tuition costs of the academy. It reminded MJ of her own truck. It was rundown and not cheap to keep it kicking but… her deceased uncle had fixed it together with her when she had become 18, two years before he died in a car accident and shortly before she had moved back into the town.

Chris must have noticed the long stretch of silence that followed. “If you see Chloe or Joyce, please give them a hug from me. We will visit soon.”

“Will do, big brother” she chanted back, immediately switching back to her bubbly self. “Give Emily a kiss from me and a hug to mom and dad. Love ya’!” “Love you too. Bye M!”

The call ended. MJ sighed and went back to finishing her look before she had to change her outfit and drive up to the mill again. She hoped Chloe wasn’t too pissed off that she did not take her with her. She just knew how much trouble her little cousin seemed to attract and a place like this would get her in a lot of trouble...

 

 It was completely dark outside when MJ pulled up near the mill. While the main act would start at midnight, she had decided to be there a little bit earlier to see if everything was alright. Ami had already texted her an hour ago when the opening act had arrived. She kept a little bit of a distance when she parked her car so she had to walk for a few minutes to get to the mill. Sometimes, she just loved to feel the quiet charm of the woods and the nature and it always seemed to be more intense at night. Not to forget the beautiful atmosphere it created. It was pretty cloudy but the moon showed through it and she had not to use her phone to light her way. Soon, the music of the opening act reached her ears and she could see the old mill illuminated by the moonlight and a few colorful spotlights from the stage. She stopped a few meters before she got to the “courtyard”. She could see Frank’s RV from her point of view together with some motorcycles in front of the mill and Rodney Sears or “Thunder” as she had overheard from some people before. He acted as the bouncer for the night. Compared to him, she was a dwarf. She chuckled lightly to herself as she resumed her way and got up to him. Hell, she definitely would not look intimidating to him at all. “Hey, dude! Good evening” she called as she walked up to him. She had her hair styled in different braids that kept them out of her face. She wore her signature lipstick together with some darker eye make-up and her glasses, paired with black tights and really short, tight fitting light blue jean-shorts. On her upper body she had decided on a lacy top with an artsy skull print, a black choker with a silver star pendant and silver earrings in the form of the anarchy symbol. “Hey, puppet” he answered her greeting as he looked her up and down. _He’s probably wondering if I am underage or not…_ she thought as she got out her ID card and gave it to him.

“Don’t worry. It is not faked. I actually helped to set the stage up for the show.”

He arched one eyebrow. “Melody Jane? What kind of name is that?” he asked after he had checked out her ID. Normally, she did not like people to know her full name when she worked these jobs. While she herself felt comfortable and knew that it would not be hard to learn about her identity (especially if one of them decided to pay a visit to the diner)  she liked to be called MJ.

A light huff came out of her mouth. _Damn, I am starting to sound like Frank!_

“The kind of name that can be shortened to MJ. You gotta talk, biggy, with your floral bike!” she answered and crossed her arms in front of her breasts to show him that while being way smaller than him, she was no one to be pushed around.

“Woah! No offense there, girly!” he answered, chuckled and gave her back her ID. “Stay safe. Lots of wolves in there waiting for little red riding hood!”

She smirked at that. “Don’t you worry, biggy, I can take care of myself. Thank you none the less!” She placed her ID back into her pockets and entered the mill and was immediately absorbed in the atmosphere, the smell of weed and beer, the lights and the music.

 

Inside, she at first took a small look around the first room to get a grip of who was there and if she had to look out for someone like her little cousin. She saw Shelly and his dumb friend near the bar and when she looked around the room she actually saw Frank on the couch and decided to walk up to him.

“Hey, Francis!” she greeted him and flopped down next to him. He looked pissed as always and had a cigarette between his lips when he turned his gaze on her.

“Hell no. What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked as he looked her over. His gaze was stern, reminding her of the look her brother gave her whenever she got into a shitty situation. But in this case, she was not sure _what_ she had done to deserve this look.

“Woah. No need to get all ‘Chrissy’ over me! Just wanted to enjoy the show I helped to organize.” MJ sure as hell noticed the look he took around the room as if he was looking for someone. “Do you have a date? I hope it is not with Shelly over there. I think that he is not really that much into men” she joked around.

“Wha-? What the fuck? No! Why do you even-!“ A light laugh came out of her mouth at the expression he head on his face. “Just kidding, Frank. Relax.”She snatched his cigarette from his fingers and took a drag from it before handing it back to him. _Smear proof lipstick is a really good invention. I don’t think he would have been amused by getting that color on his lips while smoking. Would suit him, though!_

He huffed after her little move. “Look, M. I just want to make sure none of the actual bad guys are near you tonight.” “Such a sweety you are! Thank you, darling!” she called back as she got up again and left him on the couch because she was pretty sure she had seen Ami somewhere around the bar. Partying with him was definitely on her to-do-list for tonight and she wanted to get a band shirt for Chloe.

 

As MJ walked up to the bar to look out for Ami, Sheldon and his friend noticed her. “Hey, sweetheart!” Sheldon called out. “Good evening to you too, Shelly!” she answered while popping off the top of a bottle of beer she had grabbed with her lighter and taking a swig afterwards while wondering what had gotten him into such a good mood to give her a _nice_ nickname. “Nice thing you did with the deer head” his friend addressed her. “Ah, thank you. And artist has to do what an artist has to do.”

“Heh” Sheldon laughed shortly. “I bet Merrick would like ya’ if he ever came to meet ya’ pretty little face.”

“Naaw! No need to get jealous. I’m sure he will share” she said and realized how _that_ sentence could be interpreted. And the way he was looking at her _now_ confirmed it. She flushed a little bit. She wondered shortly if this Merrick fella was even there this evening. While she did those jobs for him since around four years now, she had never met him even though he owned the mill. “Too much beer for you, I dare say” the older man chuckled as he looked her up and down, probably wondering what he could do with her if she just drank a little bit more. Just then came her savior in form of Ami who she had originally looked for. “MJ! I was looking for you all over this shit-hole. Come on! The show starts now!” He dragged her along to the other room while she waved at Sheldon and his friend.

 

“Thank you for that little rescue move!” she shouted over the noise the crowd was making when Firewalk started to play precisely at midnight. _Gosh, they are great!_ She thought as Ami just grinned at her. Hell, he knew in what kind of situations she sometimes got herself in. The next thirty minutes were spent rocking with the crowd to the band while drinking the rest of her beer. She left the room afterwards for a small pause and halted in shock when she saw her dear little cousin near Frank. “Chloe?! What the fuck are you doing here?!” she called out while rushing to them. The little brat whipped around. “Fuck! I –ah- mean- hey M!”

“I cannot believe this! What are you doing here?” “Well, it seems like she wanted to pay for her drugs” Frank interrupted the awkward encounter between the two girls. “Chloe…” MJ started. “No. It is alright! I just… don’t have the money right now, okay? I wanted to see the band.” She sighed. “Go along, then. But if I hear a word of you getting into trouble-!” “Yeah, I know, mom! You will kick my ass” answered the moody teenager that hovered over her in a sarcastic tone. MJ watched as Chloe went to the bar to get nearer to the band while she herself sat back onto the couch. This time, Frank gave her his cigarette without her having to steal it first. She took a couple of drags as she leaned her head against the seatback. “How much?” she asked Frank after a few seconds. He looked at her. “You can’t keep fixing her mistakes, Melody.” Shit, he meant it seriously. He only called her by her first name if he was dead serious. She knew it had to be quite a lot. While Frank could be fucking dangerous when provoked, he mostly was a softie and Chloe probably had a little bonus because she was her cousin.

“I know” she sighed. “but… she is like my little sister and with all the shit she has been through…” She snuggled up to him even though he was not really a fan of personal space invading. She sighed again as she lit herself another cigarette and stared at the ceiling while listening to the music from the other room. She did not even register Chloe sneaking by them to climb the stairs. Frank said nothing, just gave the teen a warning glance. MJ blew a puff of smoke into the air when she suddenly saw Sheldon - with a wet shirt, mind you – climbing the stairs together with his sidekick. She ignored it and looked at Frank. “You gotta let me meet Pompidou soon. I heard so much about him.” He lifted an eyebrow. Sure as hell hadn’t heard anything about his pup from himself except that one time he needed a little bit of help. “Whatever” he answered dismissively. They sat there in silence for a couple of seconds. Frank turned slightly to her, taking a look of her outfit in and just wanted to say something to her when suddenly, a chick rushed past them and up the stairs.

Melody thought she heard something shattering and then she saw Chloe and the chick coming down the stairs in a rush followed by a really pissed off looking Sheldon and his friend. Immediately, Frank and her shot up to stop the two men while Chloe blew them her middle finger like a kiss and vanished with the girl into the crowd. “Hey, calm down you two!” MJ shouted while Frank held them off. “Whatever!” Sheldon said angrily and left with his friend nearly bumping into a man with a brown jacket that just came inside. “Okay. This evening turned weird really fast…” she said to Frank and sat down with him again while the man gave a nod to Frank and nodded questioningly at her. She looked at her phone in that moment and saw a message from her boss at the diner asking if she could cover the early shift. “Shit! I gotta go. See ya’, big man!” she said as she got up again, quickly bought a shirt for Chloe and got out of the mill while not once realizing the man with the brown jacket watching her as he moved over to Frank and took a seat beside him. Outside, she nodded at Thunder in some weird way of saying goodbye before rushing back to her car and driving home. The early shift meant being at the diner at 7 am and preparing everything at 6. It was already after 1am. _Well, here goes a perfectly fun night with the prospect of a shitty morning…_ she thought as she got out of her clothes at home, brushing her teeth while trying to undo her braids with one hand just to give it up completely, falling onto her bed while setting her alarm.

Sleep did not come until half an hour later. _I can’t believe it. Chloe gets more and more uncontrollable. Poor girl…_ She knew her little cousin did all of this to drown the loss of her father, to stand up against something she held responsible for losing him. She could not be angry with her, on the one hand. But on the other, she was positive that Joyce was worried sick. She sighed as she turned around and finally found sleep.


	4. Alpha-guys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make it clear: I changed the timeline to suit my plot better. The train ride and spying on James Amber will not happen on that day.

The alarm went off precisely at 5am. Slowly, MJ opened one eye, peeked at her alarm, sighed and stood up while turning it off. She had one hour for a cup of black tea, changing to her work uniform, fixing her hair and trying to act like she was not a zombie running loose.

A few minutes later, she checked different social media sites she was on and her mails while sipping on her tea. _Well, look at that…_ she thought as she stumbled over a photo of Chloe and the mysterious chick that had saved her from Sheldon and his friend the night before. A smile formed on her lips as she studied the picture. Chloe looked happy. Whoever that Rachel Amber girl was, she had gotten her cousin happier than she had been in the last two years and that in a single night. She hoped – no. wished! – that Chloe would find a new, good friend in this girl. After Max had left, MJ had tried everything she could to support Chloe during her time of grief that still lasted. But soon, she came to realize it was something Joyce's daughter had to figure out herself. She had tried to keep her out of trouble instead. That was working not as good as she had hoped… _Before I forget, I must ask Ami if he has gotten our payment. Maybe I can convince Frank to let me pay for her debts. At least, a part of it._

She finished her tea, unbraided the rest of her hair while brushing it out and placing it in a loose bun before she slipped into her working uniform, placed a light, black leather jacket over it and went to the _Two Whale's_. Outside, she met Bryce, one of the "older" staff. "Hey, Bryce!" she greeted the older woman. "Hey, Melody. Nice to see you." Bryce was a little bit tight lipped at times but still a great person. Only Joyce topped her in being more popular among the customers. "Come on, let us go in and get started before all these hangry truckers burst through the door" she joked before the two women went inside and started to prepare everything before they had to open the diner. MJ send a few messages before getting started on the coffee.

* * *

_~hey ami! Hope you slept better and more than I did. Care to share if you received our money yet and when I can come and pick up my share? xx_

_~Yo, Francis! You still near the mill around 1? mj_

* * *

While having to be all polite and timid smiles for the last few hours, MJ's shift ended at 12. Joyce had joined them at around 10am and was all worried looks behind the counter. MJ went to her after she entered the kitchen. "Hey Joyce. I will clock out now" she greeted her. "Okay, sweety. Have a nice day and say 'Hi!' to the rest of the family!"

MJ could see right through her cheerful demeanor. _I can't tell her where Chloe was last night. She already has so much she needs to worry about._ "Joyce?" she addressed her again as she tenderly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry too much, alright? I will keep an eye and ear out for her when she is not at home, okay?" "Yes, I know… Thank you Melody."

She pulled back, snatched her Jacket and left the diner to get home. On the way she checked her phone.

* * *

_~Boss gave it to me a few minutes ago. I have dropped it in your mail box_

_~Yeah, kiddo. F_

* * *

She rolled her eyes as she saw the message from Frank. _Someone seems to have his panties in a twist today. Wonder why!_ So the next minutes where spent with fishing her keys out of her pockets to get the envelope with her share of the money out of the mail box before she climbed the stairs and got to her flat. There, she made herself another cup of black tea and prepared lunch and checked her mails again. _Oh, Mrs. Andrews received my painting. Glad she liked it!_ While art was her hobby, and not really payed off most of the time, she sometimes got lucky to get a customer. Mrs. Andrews had fallen in love with a painting of the shore of Arcadia Bay she had posted a picture of on her social media and had been eager to buy it. As someone with not that much money on her hands most of the times, MJ was always glad when someone took interest in her art and decided to buy a piece, especially when art was appreciated. After her lunch and tea she hopped under the shower to wash her hair and body but mostly to get the smell of coffee and grease off her.

When she left her shower she put on her glasses again and freed her mirror of the fog her shower had caused. She looked into it. _Shit, I look like I haven't slept in a week!_ After scrutinizing herself she stuck out her tongue at herself and combed through her hair, deciding to just towel it until it got mostly dry and let the air do the rest for her while she picked out an outfit.

She settled on a white t-shirt with a colorful skull print together with black jeans, black sneakers and the choker she wore the night before. After she had put her outfit on it was nearing 1 o'clock. "Shit!" she cursed as she snatched her jacket together with the money she had earned the evening before and rushed outside to her car.

The drive up to the old mill was as uneventful as it could be while letting the local rock station blast its music through the speakers. It was sunny outside, a really nice day. This time, she pulled up near the mill. As she shut off the engine she realized that she had forgotten her phone at home. _Great. I hope that no 'wolves' are running around today, as Thunder said last night._ She shrugged her shoulders before leaving Camilla and following the path to the courtyard. No motorcycles today. But Frank's RV still stood at the same spot with two camping chairs in front of it. She heard music and voices from inside the mill and saw a person sitting in one of the chairs. _What now? Shall I try the RV first or go into the mill?_ She pondered for a few seconds, shrugged her shoulders and went up to the RV.

As she got nearer to the RV she saw who inhabited the chair. "Well, look at who came back. Want to throw a bottle at me too?" came the angry question from none other than Sheldon who was holding a piece of steak against his left cheek. "Hey, look. I don't know what your problem was with my cousin but keep me out of it, okay?" she answered while holding up her hands. Up near him, she was able to see that he had a bruise on his cheek where that bottle he had talked about must have hit him as he took away the meat. "Jesus. That does look bad," she commented and he was not happy with that. "Yeah. Thanks to brat #1 and #2", he sneered. "Look, I am sorry for that but they probably had a reason to defend themselves," she tried to reason with him - to no avail. He shot up and grabbed her arm, dragging her nearer to him. _Should have known better, M._ "Defend themselves?! First the little shitter spills her beer all over me, gets rude as if she owns the show and then, her stupid little friend THROWS. A. FUCKING. BOTTLE AT ME!" She tensed as his grip got firmer and firmer with every word until he was shaking her while shouting. "Look, I am sorr-!" "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he screamed back while she tried to free herself from him.

Just before the situation could get any more tense – well, she would definitely get a nice bruise from his grip – the door of the RV burst open and Frank came out together with another man and his little pup, Pompidou, who immediately ran up to Sheldon and bit into the hem of his jeans.

"Hey! Let her go, Sheldon!" Frank reacted like clockwork as he saw in what kind of situation MJ had found herself in. He got up to them with his hands balled tightly into fists, ready to strike Sheldon. Sheldon pushed her away from him to try to calm Frank down. He knew that once you get Frank into a really bad mood, he can get quite dangerous. MJ nearly fell down from the force of the push and stumbled into the person behind her who gripped her shoulders so she would not fall forward from the second momentum caused by bumping into someone's chest. She could see large hands with a few rings on some of the fingers that seemed to dwarf her shoulders. "Don't worry, doll. We will handle this situation" the person spoke from behind her. She looked up at him over her shoulder with a frightened look. This one she did not know had never seen him before. He was a bit rough looking with a scar across his face, a nose, that looked like it had been broken more than one time, his hair combed back and spotting a trimmed beard. _But not bad…_ He smirked at her as if he knew what she was thinking or trying to calm her down. _God, he is a giant. As tall as Sheldon_ she thought as he lifted his hands from her gently pushed her to the side and got up to Sheldon and Frank.

Sheldon now seemed to realize what kind of deep shit he had driven himself into. "L-Look! I am sorry, okay?! I did not mean to hurt her!" Frank sneered at him and collected the pup before something happened to the little dog. He went over to MJ while the brown-haired guy walked up to Sheldon, pressed the fingers of his right hand uncomfortably into the soft tissue between shoulder and neck, turned him around and went a few steps with him before he started murmuring something into his ear.

She had no chance to hear what he had to say to Sheldon as Frank blocked her view. "Take him," he said roughly and handed her Pompidou before shoving her inside his RV, closing the door behind them.

Not really knowing what she should do, MJ opted to put Pompidou on the floor as he struggled against her grip. Frank grabbed a beer and sat down. "Fuck. You really know how to attract trouble. You're nearly worse than that cousin of yours." She looked to him. "It was not my intention to get grabbed and screamed at like that. I did not want to interrupt whatever you were doing with the other guy."

He huffed again. _Either I bring the worst out of him or it is his favorite noise._

"You don't get it, do you? Do you even know who that was?"

"No I don't. But whoever it is, he helped me like you did." She sighed. "Thank you, Frank. Really. You do so much for me. Just-" she interrupted herself and got the envelope with the money out of her pocket. "Let me repay you by paying off Chloe's debts, okay?" She placed the envelope on the table in front of Frank. He looked at it and seemed to think about it. Then, his gaze went to her again. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something when the door of the RV opened again and Sheldon and the other guy entered. Sheldon looked at the floor. It seemed like he had earned a punch to the other side of his face as she could see an angry looking red bruise plus a busted lip. _Shit! Did the other one really punch him?! The hell have I gotten myself into this time?_

He was nudged by Frank's "friend" when he stayed passive. "What do we say, Sheldon?" She could hear his voice asking the older man with a form of authority that surprised her. He couldn't be that much older than Frank. Sheldon on the other hand looked like he could be in his late thirties. Still, he sounded like a father reprimanding his unruly son.

"'m sorry…" she could hear him say to her. He even looked up. Suddenly, she had the weird feeling of being responsible for Sheldon's fate. "I-it's okay. No harm done!" she rushed to say. They all knew she would sport a beautiful bruise on her arm for the next few days as it was already starting to form. "Okay. Now that the lady has forgiven you, move your incapable ass along. Go to Peter and do your job, alright?" "Yeah. Sorry…" Sheldon spoke again and then left the RV.

The other man went up to the sink and washed what looked like blood from his slightly bruised knuckles. _I have no idea who he is. Considering Sheldon's behavior and Frank's comment, he must be some alpha._

"Is that how you treat your female guests, Frank? Not offering them a seat?"

She nearly jumped when he spoke while cleaning his hands, looking to Frank. She could see his grasp tightening around his bottle. "She does not want to stay" he said through gritted teeth. "No?" alpha-guy asked and turned to her while drying his hands off. "What a shame!" He sent her a wink as he leaned against the counter now. Then, he noticed the envelope on the table. "Ah, a customer, not a guest. Shame. I did not pick you for an addict."

She shivered a little bit at that. _I am really happy that I am the one standing here and not Chloe. Hell, that girl would have probably gotten herself into a fight already and would be dead by now._

"Actually, she just wanted to pay. Nothing else" she could hear Frank again. Why was he defending her like that? "Yeah. Sorry. I just wanted to deliver the money for someone else. Nothing more and nothing less."

Alpha-guy looked at her again, scrutinizing her with his gaze. She looked back and felt like a deer caught in headlights, so unlike herself. "Aehm… I think I should go again. Thank you for the help. Frank? Chris sends his greetings." Was she stuttering…? _Hopefully not. I must look like a complete idiot._ "See you, M" was the answer she received from Frank. "Goodbye, doll" the stranger said as he looked at her again as if she was prey. "G-goodbye" she answered. Then, she turned around and left the RV.

_Hell, what the fuck was that? I do not even know him and while he was nothing but polite towards me I have the weird feeling that I should keep my distance from him._

"Hella weird…" she murmured to herself as she quickly walked back to her car. At least, she had gotten the 'repaying-Frank-so-Chloe-does-not-get-into-more-trouble'-part of her day done. At what costs? She did not know. But she hoped it would not mean the death of her.

She sighed as she climbed into her car and headed back to the city.

When she returned, she checked her phone for missed calls and messages.

* * *

_~Chloe: Thank you for not busting me! Mom asks if you want to come over for dinner. Beware of the step-prick… I need to tell you something. Last night was amazing!_

* * *

Just as she sent her answer that she would be coming, a new message came in.

* * *

_~stay away from the mill_

* * *

It was from Frank and she did not even bother to answer him. He could be sure as hell that she would not come near the mill for quite some time if the need did not occur. But as she thought about it, she knew that she had do repay him somehow. He had helped her against Sheldon. She did not even want to think about what could have happened if he and the other guy hadn't left the RV. She would be sporting more than just the bruise on her arm, she was sure about that.

* * *

_~Thank you again. Next time you come to the diner and I am on my shift I will give you a meal for free. Maybe you should hook me up with someone that teaches me a little bit more about self-defense. xo_

_P.S.: It is tomorrow during breakfast time._

* * *

She put her phone away again and decided to do some painting. Quickly, she threw on an old flannel that was way too big on her, buttoned it up and sat down near the canvas she had started to paint the lighthouse on. She spent the next few hours painting and then sketched the old mill on a piece of paper.

The next time she looked at a clock it was nearing 5pm. She was invited to eat over at the Price household around 6 and because Chloe wanted to tell her something she wanted to be there way before 6. So, she got up, cleaned the slight mess she had created, took a picture of the process of her painting to post on her social media and changed again. This time she donned a light, black sweater with a white lettering that read "Nerd is gangster" before she looked for the _Firewalk_ shirt she had bought for Chloe.

The drive to the Prices took less than 10 minutes. She checked herself in the mirror again after she had parked on the sidewalk before she walked up to the house. _Memory lane hits again_ she thought as she thought about the time she had spent with her uncle in front of the garage to restore Camilla. But with the good memories came the bad and before she could be too overwhelmed by them she pressed the bell.


	5. The unusual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I will not be able to write a new chapter for the next few days because I will be travelling and do not have access to a Computer (and I had writing something longer with my phone). Hope you like this chapter! The original timeline will soon be continued.  
> Have a nice start into your week!  
> G.S.B.

„I’ll go to the door, mom!“ Chloe was not to be overheard and MJ had to smile as soon as she heard the voice of the teenager. It seemed to wipe away all of her worries.

“Welcome to my humble abode, young traveler” Chloe greeted her cousin with a low bow while smiling at her. “Come in, come in. Mom said that dinner will take a few more minutes.” She took MJs hand and pulled her inside the house. “We are upstairs!” she called before Joyce had time to come out of the kitchen to greet their guest.

“Chloe, slow down!” MJ chastised her cousin while following her into her bedroom, laughing. “Or you will not get your present.”

Immediately, her cousin whipped around. “What present?” she asked her while she went to her stereo and hit “play”. “Ah, you know. Just something to remind you of a special night,” MJ taunted her as she pulled up the t-shirt she had purchased for her.

At first, Chloe looked surprised and like she did not know what to do. Then, a huge grin formed on her lips and she took the shirt while simultaneously giving MJ a hug.

“Now, tell me about that girl you met last night.” She could see Chloe starting to blush.

“You mean Rachel Amber? It’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. It was just… crazy! She came up there all of a sudden and defended me. And then, we rocked out for the rest of the night to fucking _Firewalk_! I did not even know her before, just seen her at Blackwell but not interacted with her. She is just sooo cool!”

MJ smiled as she saw her cousin rambling about that girl. She reminded her of the days when she and Max would play pirates in the garden as 8 year olds before all of this mess had happened.

“She even sat next to me in all the classes we had together and ignored all of the weird looks she got from the other privileged fuckers.”

“Wow. She must be something special” MJ couldn’t hold herself back from dropping a hint. But Chloe did not seem to take it seriously or did not realize what her cousin was implying.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. Frank sent me a message yesterday. Did you really pay my debts?”

And suddenly, their conversation got serious. “Yes. But before you get all angry with me-“ she interrupted Chloe from speaking again. “I just want you to know that now; you owe me that money, capiche?” The teenager rolled her eyes. _I hate to act like I am her mother. But after what I experienced at the mill? It’s for the best._ “Just… tell me before you pile up that much again, okay? I don’t judge you for smoking weed. I just don’t want your dumb ass to get into more trouble.”

Chloe sighed and looked like she wanted to say something rude but seemed to change her mind. “Okay. Yes. Sorry” she said in a defensive stance. MJ had to smile. Sometimes, she reminded her of herself during that age. “Okay. Now tell me more about Rachel Amber.” She smirked as Chloe jumped on this opportunity.

 

They talked as long as it took for Joyce to finish their dinner and call up to them. They stood up like two friends during a sleepover that got caught doing something they should not do, like cutting the hair of their dolls in weird patterns.

“Good evening Joyce,” MJ greeted her aunt when they came down the stairs. “It smells delicious as always.” Joyce laughed. “Oh thank you, dear. Would you and Chloe please set the table?” “Sure thing, mom” answered Chloe and got the plates while Joyce looked at MJ as if she had seen a ghost. MJ just shrugged her shoulders while she got the rest to set up the table. _I wonder why David isn’t here. May have something to do with the mood Chloe is in right now. Normally, she is the worst when he is at the house._

It did not take long to find out where the ex-military man was when the door to the garage opened just as they finished putting everything on the table. “Hi, Melody,” he greeted her. MJ responded the same way in an awkward fashion. She knew how much Chloe resented him and she could not judge her for it. But he was good to and for Joyce and they clearly loved each other. _Still, no reason for him to act like he is her damn probation officer, mind you._

The dinner went rather uneventful. Or to say it better: it was awkward as hell. Chloe pretended like David wasn’t there who did not seem to understand that Chloe did not want to talk to him. So MJ took it upon herself to try to let some form of conversation happen by inquiring about David’s job, if Joyce still wanted to do more gardening and avoiding the topic of late night activities and school. It went rather well. No fight occurred even though Chloe seemed like she wanted to say something. But for her sake and everyone else’s, MJ did everything she could to not let that happen.

“How is your side job going?” This question came unexpected and MJ nearly choked on the pie that was served as a desert. At first, she thought Joyce wanted to know about the odd job she did whenever an offer came in. But the way she was looking at her and Chloe snickered she knew she meant her art. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry… I sold a painting a while ago and am finishing the project for Emily right now. Other than that, I don’t have much to say, sadly.” “Oh that is alright, dear. You have talent. I am sure there will be coming more your way” Joyce reassured her in her motherly way. MJ just smiled back. _Not everyone can be a Jefferson…_ she thought to herself. One of the reasons for doing jobs like the one at the old mill was to cover the costs she had for doing what she loved. Colors and canvases were expensive together with all the other supplies she needed. It was not that often that she sold a piece or had an actual customer. The diner did not pay enough to cover her expenses and she could not upgrade to a full-time job there.

The rest of the dinner was held in what seemed to be content silence. Soon, it was time for MJ to leave. “Thank you again for the dinner, Joyce. It was lovely, “ she said after they had cleaned off the table and she was heading to the door. “I’ll see you at the diner tomorrow. Good night, everyone!”

As soon as she got home again she looked at the painting and sighed. She did not know how long she could keep going like this. She dropped her jacket, took off her shoes and sat near the windowsill on her couch. A drawing pad was resting on her legs while she was finishing the sketch of the mill she had started this afternoon. Afterwards, she found herself doodling mindlessly as the moon shone through her window. She sighed after a while. _I seem to do that a lot lately_ she berated herself as she placed her pad on the couch table and decided to head to bed. While she did not have the early shift on the next day she still had to be there at around 9:30am. It was called the breakfast shift even if most people had eaten their breakfast already. It mostly came from the customers like cops that came around that time to eat something hearty while drinking a coffee. Thinking about cops she now hoped that Frank had not taken her invitation that seriously. _Don’t want him to get into trouble with the law because of me._ The diner seemed to be some form of common ground. Even though some of their visitors were suspects of some minor or larger crime, they never got apprehended while eating in the diner.

As she lay in her bed and waited for sleep to come, she had to think about Chloe again. _I think she doesn’t even know that she has a huge crush on that Amber girl._

* * *

 

The next morning came and saw her rushing through the streets. Her fucking alarm clock had decided to stop working during the night and she had slept longer than she had wanted to. Not even having time to cover the bags under her eyes she hastily had put on her working uniform, braided her hair French style while thinking about the next color she wanted to add before running out of the door so she would not be too late. She did not even bother to go around the building to enter because she knew that would cost her precious minutes of time to not get her ass kicked.

MJ only registered that some booths were occupied and two cops sat at the counter while she made her way past customers and co-workers to get behind the counter. “Sorry, I am late!” she said as she got near the kitchen. “Just do what you got to do. I have to go in 2 minutes” came the sour response from one of their part-time workers. MJ nearly rolled her eyes as she got into the background and was immediately loaded with pots o freshly brewed coffee. She walked back to the front of the diner and refilled the mugs of some customers before she realized that Frank _had_ actually found his way inside. _It is nearing 10 am. What is he doing here that early?_ she wondered as she went to him. “Morning, Francis. What can I bring you?” she asked him with an honest smile. He had no time to answer as she realized that she had forgotten her block and pencil in the kitchen. “Shoot! Wait a sec’ I forgot something!” She went back. “Hey, MJ. Could you please deliver this to table #5?” the cook of the diner called her as she snatched her block and pencil. “Sure, Phil, will do!” she answered back, took the plate and delivered it to the table before turning around to get to Frank. “Sorry for the delay!” she apologized while holding up her block and pencil to show what had taken her so long. He mumbled something under his breath that she just ignored. “So? What can I bring you today?” she asked him in a mocking version of how she usually talked to the customers of the diner. “Just bring me the usual” he answered her. _Wow. His mood has not changed since yesterday. Damn. He must still be pissed at hell at what happened._

Just as she wanted to turn around again, a slight shadow fell over her and she saw a familiar brown jacket behind her. “Hello, doll. Did not think to see you here” she could hear the voice of the man she had dubbed “alpha-guy” the day before. Everything seemed to slow down and a weird silence filled the room as she turned around completely. “Oh! Good morning!” she greeted him overly cheerfully as a way to cover up how nervous she felt. The cops at the counter watched them with one hand near their guns as if they waited for something bad to happen while one of the waitresses looked like she was close to fainting.

Alpha-guy indicated to her that he wanted to sit down. She blushed a little bit and made room for him. He sat opposite of Frank who looked even more pissed than before.

Her gaze followed his hand as he reached for the menu and studied the front where they had listed their breakfast menu. She was contemplating if she should stay or not. The diner was relatively busy for this time of day but the atmosphere was so tense she was not even sure if she would not start some weird kind of butterfly effect by moving away.  Fortunately, Frank’s friend solved the problem for her. “I take the bacon and eggs and coffee” he ordered. Even though he had a light tone it still felt like a command. “Sure thing. I will bring it to you when it is ready!” Her answer was a standard answer from her “customer dialogue phrases” she had developed during her first few shifts nearly three years ago. _Why am I acting so weird around this fella?!_

As MJ moved away from the table to get their order to the kitchen she felt a shift trough the room. Everything seemed to normalize again and while some people shot her weird side glances everyone resumed being just… “normal” again. As she entered the kitchen the other waitress that had been present during the encounter rushed in after her. “You are one lucky girl!” she exclaimed louder than what was suitable. “Do you even know who that is?” MJ gave Phil the order before turning to her co-worker. “Do you mean Frank? Well, for one he eats here frequently enough that you should know that he never does anything while being here except for eating toast, scrambled eggs and beans” she started being back to her normal “MJ”-self. Her co-worker rolled her eyes. “No, I do not mean your secret lover” she answered in a slow tone as if MJ was dim-witted. “He is not-!” she tried to interrupt the other woman. “Oh no! Don’t you interrupt me now! I mean the man that sits with him. And you know damn well that I meant him from the beginning!” “Calm down okay? He is just a customer. He has done nothing than ordering food and coffee.” _Why am I even defending him? He punched someone yesterday without having a real reason. The looks the cops gave him say it all. Yet… he has done nothing bad to me since I met him._

Her co-worker just rolled her eyes at her. “Don’t hold me accountable if you wound up dead!” she exclaimed dramatically before she left the kitchen again. _Wow. Drama club missed out on her!_

MJ sighed and reprimanded herself for the action because it seemed to become a habit she did not want to adopt. Phil just glanced at her as if he wanted to ask what was wrong. She just shrugged her shoulders before filling a cup of coffee and bringing it to Frank and alpha-guy who stopped his conversation to take the coffee with a charming smile.

When she was behind the counter again one of the cops looked at her concerned “Everything alright, miss?” he asked her in a hushed tone. “Yeah. Everything is alright, officer. Thank you for your concern. Do you want a refill?” she asked politely. He nodded while not seeming to be overly convinced.

It did not take long before the order for Frank and his friend where ready. She took the hot plates and made her way to the pair in the corner of the diner. She placed them down in front of them. While Frank just sent her a weird glance his friend looked fully at her. “Thank you, Melody” he said overly polite. She tensed shortly. _How does he even know…?_ But then she remembered that they all had their name tags with their first name on their uniforms. “No problem. Just call me over if you need anything. Enjoy your meal!” “Will do, doll” he answered in a tone that sounded a little bit like he tried to flirt with her. “How is the arm looking?” he asked before she could flee again. “W-what?” He chuckled lightly. “Your arm?” he tried to help her along. Frank watched their exchange with mixed feelings “O-oh! Sorry. It is alright.” She wondered why he even cared about it. It hurt when pressure was applied and showed deep blue, red and violet hues but he did not need to know the full details. “Good to know” he said in a dismissive tone as if he had discovered a great secret he had to ponder about. She took it as her cue to leave and spent the next hour refilling mugs, talking to regular customers and taking and delivering orders. The seats near Frank and alpha-guy remained empty while they sat there and she helped her co-worker out until she saw the guy waving at her.

She went over in hopes of them being finished and wanting to pay the bill.

Before she was able to say one of her standard phrases, Frank’s friend beat her to it. “How much do we owe you, doll?” he asked her. Again, his complete focus seemed to lie on her. She told him the exact charge and he paid for both him and Frank with a generous tip. She looked a little bit surprised as she saw a small card that looked like a business card had slipped between the bills but the way he looked at her told her that it had been completely intentional. “Thank you!” she said and smiled an honest smile. Tips always were appreciated. “No, I have to thank you. The food was really good and with such great company I am quite surprised not more people were here.” _Wow. He is flirting really hard_ she realized and was not sure if she should feel concerned or flattered. She had a feeling that he was not normally the guy to flirt with a waitress in a diner. _Then again, he does not look like punching other guys over something minor._

“Good customers keep us kicking” she joked as an answer and said goodbye when they both got up to leave.

When they left the diner, every gaze rested upon them. The rest of her shift was normal, thankfully. Around 12 pm, when Joyce had joined them, the diner was bustling with customers. At 2pm, MJ’s shift ended and she made sure that nobody saw her taking the little card from between the bills and inspecting it. _Weird. No name, no address. Just a phone number._ Under the number was a small scribbled note. “Contact me if you need another job”, it read. Surprised, she read the number again before clocking out and leaving.

As soon as she got home, she decided to take her mind off of alpha-guy and decided to see what colors she had left in the cupboard under the sink. She settled on a light red tone and started to dye her tips and some strands of her hair in the reddish color. While the color had its chemical reaction with her hair, she fiddled with the card again before she sighed - _Officially a habit now! –_ and typed in the number.

 

_~What kind of job? dinner girl_

Before she could decide to delete the message, she hit “send”. It did not take long for him to answer her.

 

_~Frank told me about your hobby. Interested in a little project? dm_

“Okay. That is interesting”, she mumbled to herself. How, when and why had Frank told him about her? He had given more of a vibe that he had not wanted them to meet in the first place.

 

_~depending on what kind of project we are talking about. Call me interested_

While she waited for another message from him, she started to think about the initials he had sent with his message. _DM… does not ring a bell._ He had to be of some importance or else neither Frank nor the cops would have reacted the way they did. And not to forget about Sheldon. He had acted like a scared little boy when the other guy had taken him.

Her phone vibrated. Another message.

 

_~meet me at the mill this evening. 7pm_

_Straight forward. He knows that he has the upper hand._ She had a few hours left until their supposed meeting. Hell, she needed the money she could gain out of their little deal. But would it be worth it? _Just asking and talking about it does not equal an actual deal with firm terms_ she reassured herself. _I can just say no._

She shrugged her shoulders. It could not be too bad, right? She had seen worse days.


	6. Cycling through realities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> A quick shout-out and thank you to everyone that read this story, commented or left a kudo so far. It means a lot to me! I am still in the process of correcting the older chapters and changing a few things, so far, I edited chapter 1 and 2.   
> Inspiration just grabbed me again and I was finally able to finish the new chapter and decided to post it for you. I hope you like it!

The sun was still shining as if it was the middle of the day as MJ drove up to the old mill. It seemed as if this place had started to become a special place for her in the last few days. She had the windows rolled down halfway while she was driving through the woods. It was hard to imagine that this beautiful part of the world was so dry that every little spark could start chaos. She hoped it would not come to that. Sometimes, when she was in nature like right now, she had the feeling that she was in a different reality where everything was possible and nothing bad could happen to her or the people that she loved. In times like these, she often wondered what her life would have been like if her uncle would not have died, if Frank never had quit Blackwell Academy or if she would have never met him. She smiled slightly at that thought. She had known Frank since her brother had started his school year at Blackwell. While Frank was a year older than her half-brother, the two of them had started a unique friendship quite early on. She remembered the first time Chris had brought him home. She had just been 10 at the time, Chris 15 and Frank 16. She had immediately taken a liking to the larger boy that always had a kind of sour look on his face he still wore 12 years later. He had been as much a big brother as Chris had been for her. Sometimes even more. She remembered when she had started her year at Blackwell. He had already been out of school and in his drug business. He had met a Damon Merrick a few years before he had „finished“ school who had gotten him into drugs. She had a year where she had been a victim of bullying from older boys. Frank`s clientele had consisted mostly of these kind of people just as it was today. Therefore, it wasn’t that rare an event to see him at the school. On this particular day, she had been pushed around by one of the burlier kids when suddenly, Frank had come to her rescue and started a fight with the other boy.

She remembered his bloodied fists and how she had cleaned them and bandaged them. She had given him a hug afterwards, promising to stand up for herself more so he would not need to bloody his fists for her. He had smiled at her. A real smile. Maybe it was at this point that she had decided that she would be his friend forever and he just accepted the wish of the petite girl.

Melody came back from her memories as she pulled up at the old mill. A few other trucks parked outside and just as the day before she heard voices coming from inside. Franks RV was not parked on the yard so she immediately headed to the door of the old mill. Music was playing through a speaker and she could see small groups of mostly men around tables playing cards. A few of them she knew from the preparations for _Firewalk_ or the concert in general. She completely felt out of place with her flannel shirt and her jeans. Her eyes searched the room for alpha-guy but she could not find him. Instead, her gaze found Sheldon that saw her too. She nodded at him with a careful expression on her face but decided to keep her distance. She did not want to aggravate him again and she was quite thankful that he kept his distance too.

As she found her way deeper inside the old mill she saw some of the men checking her out. _The big bad wolves Thunder warned me about._ Then, she heard a voice that she knew coming from behind the wall where the band had played two days ago. „I don’t like all those pretty words“, the voice said, „How about letting your actions speak? You have two days before you will face the consequences.“ A mumbled response came from another man before she heard the noise of a person coming closer to where she was standing. As the person came around the corner, she realized it had really been the man who she had met yesterday and this morning. As soon as he saw her, a satisfied smirk formed on his lip. „Ohh, nice to see you, doll!“ he greeted her as he came nearer. He looked neat, his hair still combed back showing his slightly crooked nose and his tattoos. He definitely had more than Frank on his body. „Good evening, stranger!“ she greeted him with a smile of her own that he seemed to like. She still did not know what it was about him that either made her like a shy wallflower or more confident than she actually felt.

“Grab a chair and something to drink for the lady!” he commanded into the room without even looking at one person specifically. It did not take them long until they were seated in the corner near the couch. He kept his gaze fixed on her as they settled down. She was not sure if she felt comforted by his presence or if she should feel even more uncomfortable than she already was. “So… tell me more about that job you have to offer me”, she started the conversation. Another smirk formed on his lips. She could not deny that he was handsome in a roguish way. “I like ladies that get straight to business. As Frank was kind enough to enlighten me about some of the jobs you have done around these parts of Arcadia Bay, I decided to inform myself a little bit more about you. I have a little side business going on right now and someone with your creativity and skills seemed like the right fit for the job. Don’t worry, it won’t collide with your little waitress situation.”

His smooth voice had taken quite a charming edge on. He wanted her to take the job and tried talking her into it. Normally, that would rise a lot of alarm bells in her mind. But this guy? She did not know what it was but she had a feeling saying “no” was neither an option he would appreciate nor an option she would actually consider taking. On the same time, she couldn’t stop asking herself what Frank had gotten himself into. “Just to make it clear, I won’t do anything that will get me into contact with the police” she answered to his offer. “Pretty _and_ clever!”, he answered while his eyes seemed to swallow her whole.

“You don`t have to worry about that. A pretty face like yours would be wasted behind bars, trust me.” She would bet her truck on it, that he had been in touch with the law more than a few times. But how dangerous could it be to work for him? Would he really be able to keep the promise he had just made?

“What do you want me to do?” she asked him while keeping her eyes on him. MJ tried to read him, what his real motives where but she found that she was not able to do so. Two bottles of bear where placed in front of them but they both kept their gaze on the other person. “I don’t know what Frank told you about me but I will not sell drugs or do something dubious. Being on the list of the police is not something I want to achieve”, she tried to explain her reasons to him. He listened to her, completely silent, not reacting in any way until she was finished. He slowly grabbed his bottle and she was reminded of his hands on her shoulders when Sheldon had pushed her into him. Hands, that had punched the man mercilessly for hurting her. She was not sure if she wanted to know what else these hands had done.

“He was true about you being clever. Frank did not tell me much about you, to be honest”, he started his reply and his face openly showed that he was not content with Frank about not telling him everything about the petite woman in front of him. He had tried to pry more information out of his friend since he had seen her at the concert. While he was the infamous Damon Merrick and usually overlooked everything in his business, she had been something that had escaped his grasp since two years. Frank had come to him then, telling him about a friend of his that needed some job on the side and he trusted him enough to agree without seeing that person. It was not normal for Frank to ask him for help as he was more of a lone wolf, you see, so he immediately knew that it was something important for the younger man and agreed.

Now, he finally knew who that person was and he was still wondering what it was about her that Frank had not wanted him to meet her in person. _The girl doesn’t even know who the fuck she is talking to_ he thought to himself. And he intended to keep it that way. In some way, he could understand Frank. She was a pretty girl that looked like it belonged in a bigger city meeting all kinds of interesting people. He could tell by how she carried herself that she was a kind spirit, probably only ever punched someone when threatened. Hell, when Sheldon had grabbed her, she had done nearly nothing to protect herself. And still… something told him that she could hold her own ground. She had an aura to her that made people notice her even though she was so small.

“I know your name, I know your occupation and I know your real passion,” he continued. “Ami has told me a little bit about you and I think you are perfect for this job.” At least, Ami had been a good source. He had told Damon about all the times he had worked together with her and that she had always done a good job. While some of his men did not take her serious because of her height, she still was able to get most of them on her side. “I want you to make a painting of the park for me. That will be your main job. And I want you to be there in person when you start. I will tell you the time and date you have to be there and start it. And I want you to paint the old tree in the middle from this specific point” he pulled a piece of paper with the map of the park out of his jacket pocket and gave it to her. He had marked her position. “You can take pictures for inspiration, if you want to. But if you do, I want you to show them to me.” He knew that his request would sound off to her but he could see it in her light eyes that she would not question him. She did not need to know why she had to be there at this specific time nor who she would see.

“If you are still interested, I would like for you to work for me as a more personal barkeeper and organizer. I am in dire need of a more… feminine touch.” That was all the truth. A pretty face sometimes got people to talk and if alcoholic beverages where involved, he was sure she would overhear some things that would be quite interesting for him.

MJ let every information he just told her sink in. His voice sounded like a command as if she had to take his offer and in some weird way she really had the urge to immediately take it. Her small hand grabbed her own bottle as she let everything run through her head. She knew that he probably had more motives than what he told her but she could not fight the thrill she felt when thinking about this opportunity. “I will pay you well, you don’t have to worry about that” he said in a much more quieter and seductive sounding voice while he recaptured her gaze. “You don’t have to worry about any of the men touching you in an aggressive or sexual way” he added while his gaze seemed to do what he just said. And she found herself not minding it at all. _What is wrong with me?_ She asked herself and at the same time, she felt herself rising the hand that held the bottle and tilting it towards him. A small grin settled on his lips that slightly moved his scar as he himself lifted his bottle and clinked it with hers. The deal was made and she felt like it was a deal made with the devil himself. She took a swig out of the bottle the same time he did as his gaze did not leave hers. “So, if I am now working for you, what shall I call you?” she bravely asked him. He tilted his head to the side. “Call me Dan” he told her. He was not trusting her enough to reveal who he really was. She probably would not take the job offer if she knew. So he would keep her in the dark as Frank had done.  “Then, you shall call me MJ.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

When MJ returned to her flat later that night and checked her phone, she was pleasantly surprised to find a text message from Chloe telling her about her day that she had mostly spend with Rachel Amber. Melody couldn’t stop her smile. She was so happy for her cousin to finally find someone that made her happy like she had been when her father had still been alive and Max had not moved away. She was starting to get ready for bed when her doorbell rang. She slowly moved to her door when she heard knocking on her door a few seconds later. “M! Would you please open this fucking door?!” she heard an aggravated voice from the other side. She rushed over and opened the door to see Frank in front of her. Before she was even able to get a word out of her mouth he wedged himself into her flat, carrying a fuzzy and frantically moving furball in his arms. “Frank? What the fuck?!” she asked him furiously. He ignored her and just put the puppy on the floor as he sat down on her couch. “What the fuck is your problem?!” she started again. While it did happen occasionally during the few years she knew him that he came in the middle of the night and crashed on the couch, he usually either had a really good reason or asked beforehand.

“Did you take the offer?” he asked her as he watched her like a hawk. His eyes shone with anger that he seemed to hold back. “Why are you here?” she decided to question him while she crossed her arms in front of her body. “Did. You. Take. The. Fucking. Offer” he repeated himself as if she was dimwitted. She rolled her eyes. She hated it when he acted like that. “Fuck yes I did! Geeze, Frank, what is your fucking problem?”

The whole tension he had in his body when he had driven over to her flat suddenly left his body as a deep exhale left him. “You have no fucking shit clue what kind of deep shit you have driven yourself into” he finally answered her question. He sounded weak and powerless and looked older than he actually was. She slowly walked towards him. “Frank. Don’t worry, okay? I know you want to help me and protect me because of Chris but please trust me.” She saw the doubt in his eyes. You could say about him whatever you wanted. Most people thought he was a fucking dumb junkie that could be lucky he had not been locked in jail yet. But she knew it better. Frank would go beyond everything he could do to help someone he cared for while he ignored his own needs most of the time.

She sat down next to him, putting her arms around him and leaning against his much larger frame. They stayed silent like this for a few moments. Her smaller body curled against him while he stared into nothingness. She did not know what he was thinking about nor would she be ever able to guess. The only thing she was 100% sure about was that he worried about her more than what was good for him. “You know what we haven’t done in a while?” she started to talk again with a smile. He looked at her and didn’t even have to answer her to know what she meant as she got up again and put a DVD into her old player and started a movie they had seen together quite often, especially when him and Chris had been close. As the movie started, she got a bowl of water for Pompidou who had settled near the kitchen and returned to the couch. She settled against Frank again like they had done on many sleepovers during the years they had known each other.

In a comfortable silence they looked onto the screen. Sometime during the movie, Frank moved his arm around her and pulled her close. It did not take long for her to fall asleep against her oldest friend. She missed the look he had as he watched her sleeping form and she missed the silent vow he made to himself. When she awoke shortly during the night, she was lying in her bed, a small furry body next to her. Her blanket had been placed over her and the ghost of a kiss lingered on her forehead. With a smile on her face, the realm of dreams captured her again, procuring images of tress, fires and blue butterflies.


End file.
